Types of Hamster Food
There are three types of hamster food. Store bought has two kinds, pellets and mixed. The third option is homemade. If you want to feed your hamster the store bought food, you can choose from the pellets which is considered a complete diet for your hamster made with all the nutrients they need to survive and thrive.
By feeding your hamster the pellets they will also be able to keep their teeth thin and sharp and eliminate the need for any special treats like a salt lick that help keep the hamsters teeth sharp and thin. If their teeth get to dull or thick it can cause the hamster problems, most importantly the inability to eat.
Mixed hamster food is also a well balanced diet filled with nutrients for your hamster. Most mixed types of hamster food include; a mixture of grains, seeds, corn, apples, oats, bananas, barley. Some brands contain almonds and other “tasty treats” for the hamster. Feeding the hamster a mixed food also has its benefits. By nature hamsters like to forge for their food, so by sprinkling their food in the bedding they are able to satisfy that instinct.
Many hamster owners feed their hamster both the pellets and the mixture, alternating days or providing the hamster with half the recommend amount of each type of food. A hamster will only eat until it is full so you don’t need to worry about over feeding. If you find that the hamster does not like to eat out of the bowl then just sprinkle it in the bedding and he/she will find it and eat it.
The third option for feeding your hamster is homemade food. This option is very popular; people use their left over scrapes to make homemade meals. You just have to be careful what you feed the hamsters. Chocolate, processed sugar and food with additives can hurt your hamster. Some hamster owners even cook meat and feed it to the hamster, just make sure you let it cool down first and make sure the hamster eats it right away if it gets buried in the bedding and not consumed for a few days this could make your hamster very sick and even cause death.
When you make homemade food you have to be careful and use your common sense. Make sure the food is small enough for the hamster to eat and not choke on and make sure it is always fresh.
Hamsters like and can eat numerous foods including; dry cat food, carrots, all types of lettuce, broccoli, snap peas, apples, pears, bananas, nuts that are not flavored and only lightly salted, small amounts of peanut butter, both creamy and chunky, any dried fruit that is all natural and as I stated above even meat. Just don’t season it with onion or garlic powders.
Some hamsters are a bit picky about their food and you will learn what they like by trial and error this will help with the types of hamster food you should give them. Hamsters should also be provided with some type of treats either store bought or homemade. But do not go overboard with the treats, your hamster then may not eat their food and this will not be good for them. With their food you should always provide fresh water for the hamster to drink daily. Pregnant hamsters can have small amounts of milk included in their diet.
for the most update information on dwarf hamsters go to: http://friendlydwarfhamster.com
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